1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information reproducing apparatus and method for reproducing program information recorded on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is an information reproducing apparatus for reproducing program information, for example, recorded on a CD (Compact disc) or an MP3 (MPEG: Moving Picture Experts Group; Audio Layer III) CD.
The MP3 CD records the compressed data in which the program information recorded on the CD is compressed in accordance with the MP3 method. That is, the MP3 CD has a copy of the same information as recorded on the CD.
In the information reproducing apparatus, the program information is generally reproduced by positioning an optical pickup at the top of the program information recorded on the recording medium and optically reading the program information.
For example, in case of reproducing the program information corresponding to an address specified by a user, the direction, time or distance of moving the optical pickup is calculated from the current position of the optical pickup and the address location where the program information is recorded, when the address is specified, and then the optical pickup is moved to the top position of the program information on the basis of the calculated result, whereby the desired program information can be reproduced.
The reproducing apparatus making the above operation has poor access performance because it takes a certain time to move the optical pickup.
A reproducing apparatus mounted on the vehicle, for example, which is employed in the environment susceptible to vibration from the outside, has a problem that the information reading position of the optical pickup departs, or a so-called sound skip is prone to occur.
Nowadays, there is an information reproducing apparatus with a mass storage such as a hard disk in which the program information is recorded on the mass storage, and the recorded program information is reproduced. This information reproducing apparatus has a faster access speed than the above-mentioned reproducing apparatus because there is no operation of moving the optical pickup in respect of reproducing the program information recorded on the hard disk, and can withstand the fault such as sound skip due to vibration when it is mounted on the vehicle.
That is, it is desired to improve the access performance including there production response for the program information recorded on the recording medium such as CD or MP3 CD by the effective use of the hard disk, and construct the information reproducing apparatus that can withstand the vibration if mounted on the vehicle.
In making the effective use of the hard disk, it is desired to resolve the problem on the Copyright Law in which the program information once copied on the MP3 CD is copied again onto the hard disk.